The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has debunked widespread claims suggesting that men suckling women’s breasts can help prevent breast cancer, calling the belief false, unscientific, and misleading.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala during the commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Naghib Bogere, an oncologist at UCI, said there is no scientific evidence to support the claim.
Dr Bogere cautioned that such myths could discourage women from seeking timely and proper breast cancer screening, which is key to saving lives.
“We know that breastfeeding is one of the proven preventive measures against breast cancer. The longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk. The protective benefit is most evident when breastfeeding lasts at least a year,” he explained.
He further clarified that the health benefits of breastfeeding arise because breast cells fully mature and develop during lactation, reducing the likelihood of abnormal cell growth — a process that cannot be replicated by a husband suckling the breasts.
Dr Bogere, however, encouraged men to support their partners by reminding them to perform monthly breast self-examinations and to seek medical advice immediately if any unusual changes are detected.
He also noted that breast cancer is 90 percent curable when detected early and reminded the public that men, too, can develop the disease, though less frequently. At UCI, one in every 25 breast cancer patients is male, he revealed.
